Om the Enchanted

By Mera Malik

Om's life goes from everyday normal to upside down turmoil almost over night. His mom leaves his dad to be with another woman, he has to learn how to live between two homes and he kind of likes a girl.  It would all be too much for most kids but Om has a kind of super-power.  He uses his vivid imagination to cope instead of escape.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sahtva
• Release date: Oct 5, 2018
• ISBN: 9781732762084

Book preview

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Big World Little Om

OM THE ENCHANTED

Mera Malik

Volume I

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2018 by Mera Malik. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN - 978-1-7327620-9-1

EPUB ISBN - 978-1-7327620-8-4

Edited by Adolfo Soberanis

Cover art by Doan Trang

For my son, Ali, who has been as brave, thoughtful, and inspiring as Om.

- Mera Malik

1

The News

Om watched the sun crawl across the morning sky. He felt enchanted. His extraordinary dog, Link, had sat up with him all night. They’d kept a keen eye on the secret entrance to the evil Lord Cookiecat’s lair! They were tired, but ready to save the world from Lord Cookiecat’s sinister plan to turn every living thing into small, fuzzy mice so that he could play with... no, torture them at will. Many people wondered why the cat was so evil. Many people, but not Om the Enchanted.

Om knew that Lord Cookiecat felt small, so the evil cat wanted everything else to be smaller. He felt scared and he wanted every other living thing to be more scared. Om the Enchanted wasn’t scared though, he was brave, strong and smart. The secret entrance pushed open. It allowed just enough sunshine to illuminate Om and Link’s way into the lair. This creepy cavity was eerily hidden under Castle Strangemore. They crouched down, ready to sneak in when Om suddenly heard arguing from inside the castle. It was just the distraction that they needed to slip in.

Get ready, Link, Om whispered excitedly, this might be our only chance to get into that lair undetected.

He heard a door creak open. Another voice, this time stronger, called out, Om, please come in here for a minute. He recognized that voice. His head dropped.

It was his mom, Sara. Sunday playtime was over. Back to the real world. Om had a vivid imagination. He loved to explore new places and go on exciting adventures in his mind. His dog, Link, and his cat, Cookie, were often part of these adventures. But, his mom was calling so had to run into the house.

Yeah, Mom? Om called out as he opened the creaky, brown back door. He was wearing his favorite Avengers T-shirt and a pair of comfortable jeans. Link shot past him, a black and white blur. The medium-sized dog moved fast, like a small dog. Om sat on the floor in front of the couch with Link. Om’s dad did not look happy, which made Om feel uncomfortable.

Oh, hi dear, his mom, Sara, came out of the kitchen and into the living room, weakly holding a half-smile on her face. His dad, Sean, was on the couch scowling at the floor. Sara sat down next to Om and Link. Om noticed that Link kept licking his paw – something he did when he was anxious.

We’ve got some news for you, Little Om. She said. Half-smiling, she brushed back her dark, wavy, shoulder-length, hair.

C’mon, Mom. I’m not ‘Little’ anymore. I’m eleven. It’s just Om. He replied.

Okay, Om. She looked at his dad, who still peered down at the floor, as if he’d done something wrong.

Well, your Dad and I have been talking, and I’ve decided to get my own little apartment to - you know, just get some space. It’s not about you, okay? I just need a space of my own. Your Dad and I still care about each other, and we’re still a family. Okay?

Om’s deep brown eyes stared at his mom, then at his dad, who finally looked up. His dad’s own downturned blue eyes told Om that he was sad, confused and upset. Om felt confused, too. He looked down at the brown carpet, then back at his mom and said, Well… what does that mean? He couldn’t look back up.

Sara smiled and put her arm around him: It means that you’ll spend part of the time here and part of the time at our new apartment. She saw Om’s eyebrows scrunch together, and she asked, How do you feel about this, Om? He could see her eyes struggle to hold back a flood of tears.

Om shrugged and shook his head. He wasn’t sure what he felt, exactly. Surprise for sure, sadness maybe. Fear? His feelings seemed to be tangled fishing line. Just an impossible mess to untie. He felt the knots tighten around his guts. He felt a little sick.

In a controlled voice and with teeth almost clenched his dad said, You can come here whenever you want, but you’ll mostly be staying at your Mom’s during the week for school and we’ll go do stuff on the weekends... if that’s okay with you.

Yeah, I guess, Om spoke softly. He wasn’t sure what to think. A few minutes ago he was Om the Enchanted, ready to save the world. Now he felt like he had no power – like he was Little Om again. He sighed and fought back the wall of tears that sat just at the edge of his eyelids.

It’ll be great, Om! his mom said as happily as she could manage. There will still be a lot of love for you, no matter what our family looks like, and Cookie will be there. Okay?

Yeah. Om nodded. He couldn’t get himself to look at either of his parents, so he just reached out and hugged Link, who continued to lick his paw.

Good. Sara strained a smile again.

Om could see that her smile was real but also hiding something. She seemed happy about the change but also scared or unsure. He wasn’t completely positive that it was a good thing at all. He liked his parents, his home, his backyard, his dog and his cat in one place. He didn’t have any friends in the neighborhood, really, but he did like to ride his bike around once in a while and he couldn’t imagine not having his dad around all of the time.

I can see you’re a little worried, Om. Sara sighed, the smile slipping from